The Browser You're Using Might Be Draining Your Battery

The browser you're using may be draining the life from your laptop like a quiet, digital Dracula. Microsoft, in a pair of lab-controlled tests, set out to show that their new browser is fighting the good fight to keep that in-bed binge watch running as long as possible. The results show what has been complained about for a long while: Chrome is draining your laptop battery faster than other browsers.

Of course Microsoft comes out on top in the test — they did conduct the test, after all — but it's something they have focused on with Microsoft Edge. In the above video, identical PC laptops run the same streaming HD video on four different browsers to see which battery falters first. Chrome is the first to shut down the computer, lasting just four hours and 19 minutes. Firefox tapped out next, followed by Opera, and then Edge, which lasted seven hours and 22 minutes.

The tests were only conducted on PCs, but it's a reported problem with Chrome on all computers. It's something Google has even had to address, implementing some quick fixes to improve its power usage. Senior Chrome engineer Peter Kasting said last summer, "You should expect us to continually improve in this area."

While Edge has the edge in power consumption, there are a lot of other features on Chrome and Firefox that aren't yet available on Edge, like the ability to install extensions. However, Microsoft has promised that extensions will be available on their next update, which is expected to be released over the summer in conjunction with the Anniversary Update of Windows 10.

They've promised even more energy saving features with the next version as well, keeping it using less of your computer's battery due to fewer CPU cycles, lowered memory consumption, and an ability to limit background activity and flash ads. But extensions remain a big deal when picking a browser. How can we survive the internet without extensions like the one form Jezebel that turns Donald Trump's nose into a flaccid penis?